Flyers Alumni History

Flyers chairman Ed Snider brought hockey back to Philadelphia in 1967 and a love affair between city and team was born. One of six expansion teams, the Flyers not only won their division in their first season, but eventually became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974.

The Flyers Alumni Association (a 501(c)(3) organization) was originally named the Philadelphia Legends. The Association was created in 1984 and continues to grow with membership consisting of national and global former Philadelphia Flyers players. The Alumni can be found playing games around the world and participating in other charitable projects throughout the year.

Through the years, the Flyers Alumni Association has maintained a tradition of giving back to the Delaware Valley community. Charities and community organizations that have been supported in the past include St. John's Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes South Jersey and Junior Achievement of Delaware.

50th Anniversary Alumni Game

Presented by AAA, on January 14, 2017, the Flyers Alumni will celebrate 50 seasons of Philadelphia Flyers hockey with a 50th Anniversary Alumni Game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni. Game time will be at 7 p.m. EST.

Proceeds from the game will benefit the charitable and community-based works of the Flyers Alumni Association and Flyers Charities.

2016 Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp

The second annual Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp was held on August 19-22, 2016 in Atlantic City, NJ. This unique event provided adult hockey players with the opportunity to interact with Flyers legends both on and off the ice. Proceeds from Fantasy Camp benefited the Flyers Alumni and Flyers Charities.

This year, the participating Flyers Alumni instructors and tournament included Hockey Hall of Famers Bernie Parent and Mark Howe, along with the likes of Danny Briere and Flyers assistant coach Ian Laperriere. Other participating Alumni included Brad Marsh, Todd "Fridge" Fedoruk, Bob "the Hound" Kelly and Flyers Hall of Famers Brian Propp and Joe Watson.

Joe Watson

Joe Watson played his junior hockey with the Estevan Bruins of the SJHL in 1962-63. The following year, he turned pro in the CHL with the Minneapolis Bruins. Over the two campaigns that followed, he caught a brief tryout with the Boston Bruins between longer outings with Minneapolis and, later, the Oklahoma Blazers.

In 1966-67, Watson's persistence finally earned him a full-time spot as a sixth and seventh defenseman with the gradually strengthening Bruins. But when the Expansion Draft was held at the end of the campaign, the young rearguard was left unprotected. As such, Flyers' GM Bud Poile spotted a solid defensive prospect in young Watson.

In Philly, he found his spiritual centre as a charter member of the Flyers who added stability to his club's new blueline corps. Over the years that followed, he became a defensive workhorse who helped keep his team respectable until their Stanley Cup pieces began to fall into place during the early 1970s.

During those years, Watson became a reliable rearguard who employed a steady positional style of play, highlighted by a daring streak as a fearless shot blocker. He also exhibited a contagiously positive team attitude that won him the favor of his fans. In 1974 and 1975, his foundational contribution to his team came to complete fruition with Stanley Cup victories at the conclusion of both seasons.

Watson continued with the Flyers until 1979. At age 35, he was traded to the youth-riddled Colorado Rockies who where looking to the veteran rearguard to teach their young blueline corps how to play good old-fashioned defense.

Just 16 games into his first campaign, while playing against St. Louis, Watson chased a loose puck near the end of the ice. The Blues' Wayne Babych checked him against the boards, leaving the fallen rearguard with the worst broken leg in NHL history. His thighbone was shattered into 14 pieces and his kneecap was split in two. Watson's career on ice was over, but he has maintained a presence in the hockey community, specifically in the Flyers organization, for many years.